Plastics Flashcards
What are plastics made from?
Plastics are examples of materials made from polymers.
What is a polymer?
A polymer is a very large molecule made from thousands of small molecules known as monomers joined together.
Describe addition polymerisation.
Addition polymerisation is the joining together of thousands of small unsaturated monomers to form a polymer.
In addition polymers the monomers are unsaturated molecules which means they have a carbon to carbon double bond, C = C.
Give three examples of monomers and polymers.
Ethene is the monomer used to make poly(ethene)
Propene is the monomer used to make poly(propene)
Vinyl chloride is the monomer used to make poly(vinyl chloride).
Describe how to name a polymer or a monomer.
To name a polymer just add “poly” to the name of the monomer and to name the monomer remove “poly” from the name of the polymer.
How do monomers join together during polymerisation?
During polymerisation, the double bonds in the monomers open up to allow them to join together.
What is a repeating unit?
A repeating unit is the shortest section of the polymer chain which if repeated would yield the complete polymer chain (except for the end-groups).
To draw the repeating unit from the polymer, take a section with 2 carbon atoms then add in the hydrogen atoms.